Automatically self-cleaning shower heads



Jan. 29, 1957 J. J. FILLIUNG AUTOMATICALLY SELF-CLEANING SHOWER HEADSFiled Feb. 7, 1956 INVENTOR. JACQUES J F/LL/u/va BY PARKER CARTERATTORNEYS United tates Patent AUTOMATICALLY SELF-CLEANING SHOWER HEADSJacques I. Filliung, Chicago, Ill., assignor to Sloan Valve Company,Chicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application February 7, 1956,Serial No. 563,996

6 Claims. (Cl. 299-59) This invention relates `to shower heads for usein shower baths, and the principal object of the invention is to providea new and improved shower head which is automatically self-cleaning.

Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved showerhead which automatically flushes out sediment and foreign deposits fromthe head each time the shower head is used and which instantlydischarges all residual water after the supply is shut off, so thatthere will be no subsequent annoying dribble.

-Further objects of the invention are to provide a new and improvedshower head which is simple and durable in construction, is efiicientand reliable in operation, and does not require constant maintenance orservicing.

With the foregoing and other objects in View, the invention consists incertain novel features of construction, operation, and combination ofthe various elements as will be more fully described and pointed outhereinafter.

Referring to the drawings:

Fig. l is a cross-sectional side view of the shower head of theinvention;

Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the shower head in operated positionwith water flowing through the device;

fFig. 3 is a bottom view of the shower head;

Fig 4 is a fragmentary portion of a shower head showing a modificationthereof;

Fig. 5 is another modified form of the invention; while Fig. 6 shows astill further modied form of shower head.

A shower head in common use today is the type in which a fixed plate isprovided with a plurality of small openings dispersed all over the faceof the plate which act as jet discharge passages. This head gives a verysatisfactory shower spray and by adjusting the supply valves, any kindof spray discharge may be secured by the bather. There is, however, thedisadvantage with this type of shower head that it requires constantmaintenance and servicing to keep it operating in a satisfactory manner.This is so because invariably sediment, sand, and other water bornesubstances become lodged within the shower head and in the jet openings,and eventually block them up, so that the shower head becomesinoperative or useless. Likewise, in localities where hard water isencountered, the jet orifices eventually lime-up due to the calciumdeposits building up in them as the water evaporates, and the openingshave to be punched out. Furthermore, there is always a long and annoyingdribble and drip from this type of shower head after the water is shutoff.

The foregoing disadvantages are all avoided by the present invention inwhich suitable relatively large drain openings are provided in a showerhead to completely flush out the interior each time after its use, andin which the drain openings are automatically closed responsive to waterow into the head and opened when the water is shut off. No dripping canoccur and since air is admitted to the interior of the head, no limedeposits can Patented Jan. 29, 1957 frice dry up and clog the jetpassages. Constant maintenance and servicing therefore is dispensedwith.

Referring now particularly to the drawings, Figs. l, 2 and 3, the showerhead comprises a cylindrical shaped body or casing 5 connected to a balljoint 6 formed integral with the inlet supply connection 7, which isalso provided with a throttle 8 for regulating the flow of water throughthe shower head. The shower head 5 is swingably supported on the balljoint 6 by the coupling member 9 and a sealing ring 10. The bell-shaped`outlet end of the casing 5 is enclosed by a iiat spray member or disc11 having an upturned annular flange 12 for threaded engagement with thecasing outlet S, as shown. The spray disc 11 is provided with amultiplicity of spray jet discharge orifices or openings 13 dispersedthroughout its surface, as clearly seen in Fig. 3. Also arranged in thespray member 11 is a series of drain openings 14 spaced in a circularmanner around the outside of the group of spray orifices 13. These drainopenings 14 are fewer in number but relatively larger in diameter thanthe group of spray orifices 13.

A ring-shaped sealing member 15 is clamped between the spray disc 11 andthe edge of the casing 5 and serves to prevent leakage outward throughthe threaded flange 12. The sealing member 15 is provided with a seriesof openings 16 which are arranged in direct alignment with the drainopenings 14 in spray disc 11, and in order to maintain this axialalignment when assembled, a recess in the spray disc 11 and acooperating small projection 17 on the member 15, are provided as seenin Fig. 3.

A pressure member or piston 20 is arranged for free reciprocatingmovement within the casing 5 and divides the same into an upper pressurechamber 21 and a lower discharge chamber 22. The piston 20 is maderelatively light in weight and cup-shaped and has -a series of waterpassages 23 extending therethrough. The piston also has a dependentanged portion 24, the edge of which is adapted to slide along the innerwalls 25 of the casing` 5 when the piston is moved. The total area ofall the water passages 23 in piston 20 is somewhat less than the area ofthe inlet water supply passage in ball-joint 6 in order that pressuremay be built up within pressure chamber 21. The water passages 23,however, have a total area somewhat larger than the total area of' allthe spray discharge openings 13 in order that no appreciable backpressure can buil-d up in discharge chamber 22 to impede the movement ofpiston 20.

In order to buige In order to guide and support the piston 2'0 in itsmovements, a supporting stem 26 is provided which is threaded at one endinto a blind boss 27, formed vaxially in the rear side of spray disc 11.The stem 26 has a head portion on its other end serving as a stop tolimit the upward stroke of the piston 20. The piston 20 is normally heldin its normal retracted position as shown in Fig. l by a compressionspring 28 encircling the supporting stem 26 and extending between thebottom surface of piston 20 and the top side of spray disc 11.

.lt will be noted in Fig. l that when no water is owing through theshower head, the interior of the casing 5 is entirely exposed to theatmosphere, thereby completely drying out the head and eliminating thepossibility of formation of lime deposits. In addition, since the drainopenings 14 are also normally wide opens, all residual water caninstantly drain out of the head and no subsequent dribble takes place.Sediment will be readily iiushed out of the large drain openings 14rather than become lodged in the relatively smaller spray dischargeorifices 13 and any water lodged above the piston 20 passes out throughthe passages 23 or around the edge portion of `the piston flange 24 ifthe same is trapped against -the casing walls 25; the sliding iitbetween ange 24 and the casing walls being loose enough -to preventsticking of the piston 20.

It is to be particularly noted that the surface ,of ange portion 24 ofpiston 20 is` of such a width that when it comes in contact with therubber sealing member 15, as seen in Fig. 2, it completely covers andseals off the drainA openings 16 in the sealing member and therefore theopenings 14 in the spray disc 11, so that no leakage can occur throughthe drain openings when the water is turned on and the shower head inuse.

Assume now that water is turned on in the shower head for the bather toshower himself, and with the proper water temperature selected by thecontrol valve usually supplied with the shower head and the rate of owadjusted by the throttle 8, inlet water dow occurs through the inletsupply connection 7. The water llows into the opening in ball jointconnection 6 and the interior of the casing into pressure chamber 21, asillustrated in Fig. 2. As pressure builds up in chamber 21, the piston20 is immediately forced downward until the flange portion 24 engagesthe'top of sealing member 15, as shown in Fig. 2, when the movement isstopped.

During the initial movement of the piston 2i), any sediment lodged inthe shower head from its previous use is immediately expelled throughthe drain openings 14. The piston flange 24 makes tight sealing contactwith sealing member and completely seals off each of the individualdrain openings 14, thereby preventing the water from owing out throughthese drain openings. This tight seal will prevail regardless of any lowor fluctuating water pressures on the piston 2t). Leakage is likewiseprevented through the threaded connection between the body S and ange 12by the Vsealing ring 15. All the water, therefore, ilows into thedischarge chamber 22 below the piston 20, after which it passes out ofthe spray discharge openings 13 in the form of a spray. Since theindividual jets are interspersed throughout most of the outer surface ofthe spray disc 11, complete coverage of the body of the bather isprovided throughout the whole cross-sectional area of the spraydischarge. As a further result of the movement of piston 20, therestoring spring 2S is compressed storing energy therein.

The movement of the piston 2t) is reliably guided by the engagement ofthe flange portion 24 with the side walls 2S of the casing 5, as well asby the supporting bolt 25, which extends axially through the piston.This double guiding action precludes the possibility of the pistonbecoming wedged or4 canted in the casing for any reason.

When the water through the shower head is shut off at the control valve,the pressure on the piston is relieved and .due to the stored up energyin spring 2S, it is immediately retracted and restored to its uppermostposition, as shown in Fig. l. This action opens the drain openings 14,permitting all of the water within the shower head to immediately drainout of the head. Since the shower head is customarily supported at anangle in the tub or shower stall, as shown, the bottom-most drain holes14 serve as drain openings and any large foreign particles in the headcarried along by the water will immediately be hushed out through theseopenings. At the same time air is admitted to the uppermost drainopenings 14 to further assist in equalizing pressures in the head tolrelease any entrapped water. Additional water remaining above thepiston 2i), in chamber 21, drains out through the water passages 23, andshould any be trapped around the iiange portion 24, this will escape dueto the loose fit between the ange and the piston walls 25.

A further result of the retraction 0f the piston is the creation of asuction effect on the rear side of the spray openings 13 by the piston,which tends to suck inward any residual water remaining in the sprayopenings, so that it can run out of the drain openings 14 and not remainas byv capillary action within the spray openings 13,

i where it could dry up, eventually depositing any lime carried along bythe water and clogging the spray openings.

Referring now particularly to Fig. 4, `a slight modcation is disclosedin which the blocking off of the drain openinvs is performed in aslightly different manner. The casing 5 is provided with an undercutportion 30, at its outlet end, which is closed by the spray disc 11having groups of spray discharge openings 13 surrounded by the drainopenings 14. In addition, the spray disc 11 has a portion 31 arrangedbetween the circular row of drain openings 14 and the first row of sprayopenings 13, which portion 31 is contacted by the rubber ring 32, moldedin the edge of downwardly projecting ange 24, formed in piston 2d. Upondownward movement of the piston 20, the rubber ring 32 will contact therear portion 31 of the spray disc and completely block off drainopenings 14 from the water ilow and cause it to issue only from thespray discharge openings 13. Upon cessation of waterdow, 'thc piston Ztlretracts, permitting complete drainage of the interior of the showerhead casing through the drain openings 14 in the manner heretoforedescribed and pointed out in connection with Fig. 1.

Referring now particularly to the modification illustrated in Fig. 5,the drain openings here are arranged in the side of the casing 5 ratherthan in the bottom of the spray disc. The spray disc 11 is recessed in aledge 39, formed on the outlet end of casing 5, and is supported by thehead of supporting screw 40, which in turn is threaded into a bridgemember 41 arranged across the inlet end of the casing 5 and which bridgemember is provided with ,a series of water passageways 42. Thissupporting screw 40 securely holds the spray disc 11 in position, and inorder to prevent leakage outwardly from the shower head, the sealingmember 15 is clamped between the disc and the edge of the shower head,as shown. The lower end portion of casing 5 is provided with a series ofdrain openings 43, extending outwardly from the interior of the casingand at right angles to the spray discharge openings 13. lt is clear thatwhen water ows into the casing and piston 2t) is projected downwardagainst the tension of spring 2S, the flange portion 24 makes contactwith the sealing member 15, thereby completely blocking the drainopenings 43 from egress of the water from the interior of the showerhead, while permitting full flow through the spray openings 13. UponVcessation of water iiow, the piston 20 retracts, opening up theinterior of the shower head to permit complete drainage through thedrain openings 43. Atmospheric pressure likewise enters the openings 43,as well as spray openings 13, completely draining out the interior ofthe head to preclude the formation of lime deposits when the water driesup.

In the modification shown in Fig. 6, the construction and operationgenerally is the same as that illustrated in the preferred modification,Fig. l, with the exception that the supporting stem 45 is arranged witha threaded nut 46 on top of the piston 20, and has a knurled headportion 47 on its other end on the bottom of spray disc 11. Thisarrangement enables the piston 20 to be manually moved up or downwardlyby grasping the head 47 to free the piston in the unlikely event itmight become jammed or tilted for some reason.

While only a preferred and several modified forms of the invention havebeen illustrated, it will be obvious that many minor variations of theseforms of the invention may be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention .and the same therefore is not to be limited to theprecise disclosures but only to the extent of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. In an automatically self-cleaning shower head, a

openings arranged around the edge portion of said disc and surroundingsaid spray discharge orifices, and automatic means responsive to waterfiow into said casing for completely closing ofi only said drainopenings from water fiow and for opening them when water flow ceases,said spray discharge oritices remaining open during the closing andopening of said drain openings by said automatic means.

2. In an automatically self-cleaning shower head, a casing having afixed spray disc provided with a plurality of spray discharge orificesdispersed throughout its surface and a plurality of drain openingslarger than said spray discharge orices arranged around the edge portionof said disc and surrounding said spray discharge orifices, andautomatic means in said casing responsive to water flow into said casingfor completely closing said drain openings to cause all water flow totake place only through said spray discharge orifices, and for openingsaid drain openings when water flow ceases for causing all residualwater in said casing to drain out of said larger drain openings.

3. In an automatically self-cleaning shower head, a casing having aWater supply inlet and an outlet, a circular spray member arrangedacross said outlet having a plurality of spray discharge orificesextending therethrough, said spray member also having a plurality ofdrain openings extending therethrough and arranged adjacent theperiphery of said spray member and encircling said spray dischargeorifices, a movable piston in said casing having water passage openingstherein and movable in response to water fiow through said casing, askirt portion on said piston adapted to completely close said drainopenings when said piston is moved to direct all Water iiow through saidspray orifices to produce a spray discharge therefrom, means forrestoring said piston when water flow ceases, said piston skirt portionthereby opening said drain openings to permit complete drainage ofresidual water in said casing and enable air to enter the same and dryout said casing.

4. in an automatically self-cleaning shower head, a casing having awater supply inlet and an outlet, a circular spray member arrangedacross said outlet having a plurality of spray discharge orificesextending therethrough, said spray member also having a plurality ofdrain openings therethrough arranged adjacent said spray dischargeorifices, a movable piston in said casing having water passages thereinand movable responsive to water flow through said casing, a skirtportion on said piston adapted to completely block ofi said drainopenings when said piston is moved and to force all water fiow to takeplace through said spray orifices only to produce a spray dischargetherefrom, sealing means around said drain openings engaged by saidpiston skirt portion to insure complete closing of said drain openings,means for restoring said piston when water flow ceases, whereby saidskirt portion opens said drain openings to permit draining the interiorof said casing, said piston upon restoring also having a suction effectupon the rear of said spray member to cause residual water remaining insaid spray orifices to be drawn into the interior of said casing and tobe drained out through said drain openings.

5. In an automatically self-cleaning shower head, a casing having awater supply inlet and an outlet, a spray disc arranged across saidcasing outlet having a plurality of spray discharge orifices therein,said spray disc also having a plurality of drain openings therein whichare larger than said spray discharge orifices, a supporting sternextending axially of said casing and attached to said spray disc, amovable piston in said casing having Water passages therein and havingmeans movable responsive to water flow into said shower head forcompletely closing off only said drain openings, and causing all waterflow to take place through said spray discharge orifices only, sealingmeans on said spray disc around each of said drain openings and engagedby said piston movable means for insuring complete closure of said drainopenings, said supporting stem extending axially through said piston andguiding the piston in its movement, and a spring encircling saidsupporting stem and arranged between said spray disc and said piston forrestoring said piston after water flow has ceased and said piston meanshas uncovered said drain openings, said supporting stem having a headportion for limiting the restoring movement of said piston.

6. In an automatically self-cleaning shower head, a casing having awater supply inlet and an outlet, a spray disc arranged across saidcasing outlet having a plurality of spray discharge orifices dispersedthroughout its surface, said spray disc also having a plurality ofseparate drain openings therein which are larger than said spraydischarge orifices, a supporting stem extending axially of said casingfor removably supporting said spray disc on said casing outlet, amovable piston in said casing having water passages therein and a skirtportion slidable along said casing walls, said supporting stem extendingaxially through said piston for guiding the same, said piston movableresponsive to water fiow into said casing for causing said skirt portionto completely close said drain openings and cause all water ow to takeplace through said spray discharge orifices only, a spring surroundingsaid supporting stem and extending between said piston and said spraydisc for restoring said piston and opening said drain openings whenwater flow stops, and sealing means on said spray disc adjacent saiddrain opening engaged by said piston skirt portion for preventingleakage from said drain openings when water is passing through saidspray discharge orifices.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,727,784 Hansen Dec. 20, 1955

